Lillith
by GimmieFire
Summary: My little rendition of the first book. Lillith is a merchants daughter, she's reliable, responsable, the perfect daughter really. But some things are about to be dropped into her lap that are alot harder than minding a shop. Suddenly Lillith's worried she


Winter gripped the terrain. Cold gusts of wind overtook the thickest of skin. And though the walls of Petrovya were thick, they did nothing for the bitter cold. It was in this city that the merchant, Tornac lived a merchants life with his daughter Lillith. The slept fitfully tucked away from the wind in their warm house.  
The house was not grand, nor was it in want of anything a house needs. It looked normal enough, sturdy walls, a strong shingled roof. But it housed stranger things than that of the merchant and his daughter.

A treasure came to Tornac in the hands of a weary traveler. Tornac gave the money without question, under the influence of some strange feeling. She wrapped it up and but it in the back of his shop and all but forgot about it until closing time.

He had wanted it for Lillith. Tornac had never been a sentimental man, but as he watched his daughter grow from a child to a woman, he felt his heart swell with pride. Men pursued her with undaunted courage and intensity, but she remained his biggest helper. Never did he have to chase those boys away because they had been encouraged.

"I must help my father," was always her reply, he was glad she could handle them with such authority and wisdom.

And so he brought it out after dinner, he watched the way her face lit up and her gentle hands slid across its smooth surface. She had thanked him vehemently and took it to her room. There, as he had no doubt, she tucked it into a secret spot for safe keeping.

He had thought about having it carved for her, but thought the better of it when he lifted the treasure.

It was a green stone that glimmered and sparkled in the sun. But despite what one would think upon seeing the stone, it seemed to be hollow inside. She had rapped on it a few times, it emitted a low humming sound that faded off. He didn't much care what it was, he only hoped that Lillith would be pleased with it.

And so he went to sleep that night, a happy man, because he made his daughter happy. Something he thought he would try to do more often because she did sacrifice much of her time for him. His dreams were peaceful, and her sleep was deep. Just the kind any good working man wished to have.

Lilliths' dreams however could be less than such. She found that she could not sleep and so she took the stone out to look upon and ponder its beauty. She took it to bed with her curling around it and looking deep into the green color of the thing. She fell asleep soon enough, but as she did she was plagued by nightmares. Large screeching flying monsters and foul two legged beasts. Nothing much more than twisted flesh astride a giant buzzard. In her dream they chased her through her childhood home until she came to the bluffs on the lake. And there the stone sat teetering dangerously on the edge. Her heart jumped into her throat. Would it fall? The bird like creatures gained on her and the great gusts from its wings sent the stone rolling off the edge.

Without a thought for her personal safety Lillith dove after it.

"Wake up girl" Came the gruff voice of her father. He was shaking her gently as if he were afraid he would break her small form. "Yer groaning as if yer in pain. Are you hurt?"

Lillith looked down at the stone in her arms and wrapped it up in its sheet.

"I was dreaming, but I am fine." She gave her father a good morning kiss and hurried about the house getting breakfast ready. Tornac couldn't help but think how wonderful she was.

Lillith went about her chores distracted. Her dream had been frightening enough to make her forget half the things she was supposed to do.

"Ye alrigh?" Her father asked her at dinner that night. He had never had to go behind her and pick up after her. She hadn't said much that day. Lillith didn't speak much anyway but usually over dinner she could coax him into conversation.

"Oh yes, I'm fine, just a bit tired I expect." She feigned a yawn.

"Ye go lie down fer the nigh . . . " He told her taking her halfway full plate. She looked at him gratefully and walked around the table to kiss him good night and hurried up to bed.

Without thinking she took out the stone and brought it to bed with her. Then curling her body around it, she fell asleep.

Tornac sat by the fire sipping his ale thoughtfully. He wasn't one for guzzling down his ale when he had the time to sip at it slowly and think. Lillith had been acting strange, she halfway did her chores, she walked about in a daze, loud noises startled her. Lillith had always been a fearless child. You could go about screaming as a mad man and Lillith would pay you nor more attention than she gave to the ground under her feet.

He was ripped from his thoughts by a sharp rapping on his door. He was compelled not to answer until the noise became frantic.

"Alrigh, allrigh, what's the fuss." He said tersely as he pulled the lock and opened the door

Surprise gripped him as he ushered in the very same traveler he bought the stone for.

"Where is the stone?" Asked the traveler frantically. "I've made a grave error in selling it at all."

"With me daughter up the stairs, what is the hurry." He had to grasp the back of the mans tunic before he got to the stairs.

"It's not a stone, the man said, it's an egg." Tornac raised an eyebrow.

"A dragon egg stolen from Galbatorix himself. But his men have come to capture it we must leave here! They are checking every house, they will kill whoever has it."

Tornac blinked at the man. "A dragon egg you say?" He grinned at the man. "If you wanted the stone back you simply should have-"

A flash of pain in his head ant the surroundings of hie home melted away and formed new ones. And he watched in awe as the traveled snuck away from a fortress carrying a bundle. Other things ran through his head, pictures and little play outs until he knew the travelers' story to be true.

Panic took him and he and the traveler rushed up the stairs.

Lillith found herself rudely awakened by the sound of her door slamming open. Instinctively she moved the egg behind her, hiding it from view. The traveler looked at her strangely.

"It has chosen." He murmured looking at the girl.

"Chosen whom?" Roared her father. "My daughter is not one of you."

The out burst left both the traveler and Lillith surprised.

"What is going on?" She asked impatiently.

"You must come with me. And you must hurry. : The traveler begged. "You are our only hope."

"Only hope- father what is this man talking about?" Lillith asked.

Tornac flailed, looking between his daughter and the traveler with wide weary eyes. Then came a knock that nearly shook the whole house. Tornac took a good look at his daughter, she would be turning seventeen in a few months, her long brown hair was wavy, her eyes green like his own. Her face was round and comely her nose upturned giving her a childish look. But she could be fierce, a fighter, like her mother who had come and gone before she was to many months old.

"Pack up." He said, and left to answer the door.

Lillith was floored, leave Petrovya? The only home she ever had.

"You want to protect this right?" The traveled asked noting her hesitation. The noises of a search could be heard down stairs. Lillith nodded and sprang into action. The traveler was yanking open drawers and shoving clothes in his own pack, while she dressed. And then he took a strange leather case from his back. It was strapy and foreign, intricate designs were carved into the leather which looked, both very old and heavily used. The traveler crossed the room and took up the egg strapping it into the strange carrier.

He handed his pack to her with a sad smile.

"Run west to the city of Cithri from there north east to Furnost. The Varden will find you, there is a map if you get lost." He moved to press his back to the door as the banging began. "There are provisions enough to get you to Cithri, and money enough to get you more. Protect that stone." He gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the wood. "Go!"

Lillith climbed out the window, bewildered by the whole thing. She carefully climbed down and began to run. She stayed low to the ground, hiding behind things as she could. She was amazed to find no Guard at the west gate. Still she exercised the most caution getting through the gate.

From there, she went west. She understood her dream, she was jumping off the bluffs, hurling towards the unknown, for this strange stone she had strapped to her back.

Traveling through Surda was rough even for the seasoned traveler. Lillith suffered the wind storms, blizzards and freezing temperatures of Surdas' terrible winters. She ran as long as she could each day, walking after she could run no more, untill she could just barely set up camp.

She ate sparingly, only what she absolutely needed. Each night she curled up with the stone, as it was warmer than any other stone she'd ever touched before, and she slept for a few hours. She often got up before the sun did and ran until well after it had risen.

Shortly after the sun set on the eighth day Lillith slowly set up camp, she could see the smoke of the town of Cithri rising over the near by hill. She was relieved, food was slowly dwindling away, any longer and she would have starved out in the cold. She didn't bother too much with a fire, the stone was warm enough to keep her warm through out the night. She simply wrapped up in her blankets and slept.

Her dreams were different this time, vivid and frightening. She saw the travelers kind face, as she often did in her dreams, it was bloody and broken, his eyes were unfocused and his muscles twisted into a look of agony. "Keep going..." he rasped to her. "Halfway, three days." Nothing the traveler said made much sense. But the grotesque look of his scarred and bloody face knotted her stomach into a million knots and she woke up.

The moon was still high in the night sky, but Lillith felt a sense of urgency. She packed things up and transferred the stone into her pack bundling her clothes into the satchel the egg was carried in. And then she walked towards the town.

Through she was able to see the smoke from the town, it was till a good walk off, it was sunrise before she reached the gate. When she got there the guards looked at her warily.

"What be yer business in Cithri?" One asked her. Lilith felt a pang in her heart, this man sounded much like her father, but he did not look like him.

"Restocking supplies and continuing north." She told him truthfully. The guard looked at her skeptically but let her by. Lillith didn't tary long in the town, She used the money from the pouch she found in the bottom of the travelers bag to buy food and a warmer coat than she had. She sold her old one for a bit of gold and headed a tavern with what she had left for a room. She got one for a lower price than she expected. Glad to have a bed for the night she hurried up to her room and climbed into the bed.

She woke to a dull scraping noise.

"Hey!' She jumped out of bed and snatched her bag away from a boy no older than six. He had a starved look on his face as he glared up at her. She looked at his pinched face and gave him a sympathetic look. Taking a small piece of bread from her pack she gave it to the boy. He took it and ran off, Lillith pulled the whole pack into the bed with her and went back to sleep.

The traveler was in her dreams again, but this time she knew him to be dead. His face was clean and glowing, still strangely pale and void of life.

"Three days." He said again. "Halfway..."

It frightened her terribly.


End file.
